Gunmen Kill Couple During Night Church Attack in Niger

Gunmen Kill Couple During Night Church Attack in Niger

A couple have been killed after armed attackers stormed a church in southwest Niger, firing shots into the air and triggering panic among worshippers, local sources told AFP on Friday.

The attack occurred late Wednesday night in Mailo village, located in the Dosso region, a volatile area of the Sahel nation of Niger that has endured years of violence linked to armed groups associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

According to a local resident who spoke on condition of anonymity, the incident happened at about 11:00 pm while Christians were attending a church service.

“Armed individuals entered the church and began firing into the air. People panicked and ran,” the source said. “A man and his wife fled and hid in their house, but the attackers followed them and killed them.”

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Another resident confirmed that several worshippers fled to neighbouring villages, while others escaped into nearby bushes to avoid the attackers. The assailants were also reported to have stolen cattle before leaving the area.

Niger has been grappling with escalating insecurity for over a decade, particularly in its western and southeastern regions. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), nearly 2,000 people have been killed by conflict-related violence in Niger this year alone.

Despite the attack, relations between Christians and Muslims in Niger remain largely peaceful, observers say. However, suspected jihadist groups have previously been blamed for attacks on churches in the Tillaberi region between 2018 and 2021, as well as the killing of 111 Muslim worshippers in Tillaberi earlier this year.

Security forces have yet to issue an official statement on the Dosso incident, as residents continue to call for increased protection of rural communities facing persistent threats from armed groups.

Gunmen Kill Couple During Night Church Attack in Niger